Chapter Text
Soundtrack: Out My Head — Fox Stevenson
Tipping his head back against the concrete wall, Tighnari closes his eyes and wonders, not for the first time, why the fuck he’s here.
He, also not for the first time, curses Sage Naphis for stumbling upon his herbology essay by sheer coincidence and taking such a liking to it. It’s not Tighnari’s fault that he’s good with plant properties and medicinal application, it’s not his fault he gets research. But that was supposed to make him do well at the Akademiya, not thrust him into the spotlight of his Darshan against his will because the Darshan’s Sage picked him.
Because when it comes down to it, that’s why the fuck he’s here. To be some stupid posterboy for Amurta after some other star student pulled out last minute.
He really doesn’t get why they didn’t just call the promotion event off, but when he asked as much, he got a barrage of ‘Well, the interviewer is already here, my boy, and you’re ahead of your project, aren’t you? It’ll be twenty minutes, nothing more, and it’ll look great on your resumé. You want to get to pick where you go after you graduate, don’t you?’
Twenty minutes, his ass, he’s been waiting for at least thirty already and the interview hasn’t even started. Not to mention that this has to be someone else’s orders, because if it were up to Naphis, Tighnari highly suspects he’d rather have nobody know who Tighnari is so he’ll have no choice but to join Naphis’ research team after graduation. Which in essence isn’t a bad offer, but he’d like to actually decide for himself what he does.
At least he’s not alone here. About fifteen minutes ago, he was joined by another boy his age, a Spantamad insignia pinned dangerously close to the edge of his beret. He doesn’t look like wears the official uniform often, ill-fitting in some places and improperly put on in others. They haven’t shared a single word, though Tighnari can sense the boy glancing at him occasionally.
The silence lasts a glorious three more minutes before the other boy cracks. Honestly, he’s lasted longer than Tighnari expected, practically vibrating out of his seat, so he doesn’t blame him. It’s still annoying though.
“So, did they also ask for you at the last minute or were you supposed to do this together with the Light of Kshahrewar?”
Tighnari’s brows shoot up. “With who?”
The Spantamad boy’s face turns confused. “The Light of Kshahrewar? Kaveh? The guy supposed to do this interview?”
“Never heard of him, sorry,” Tighnari laughs. “I don’t keep up with gossip, it bores me.”
It’s a lie, though not entirely. It is true he doesn’t keep up with gossip, but it’s more a side effect of keeping himself out of masses or busy areas. The noise bothers his ears and he finds that he works better the less people are around him. Besides that, he doesn’t care to know popular students beyond his own Darshan, they won’t get him anywhere after the Akademiya. Honestly, Tighnari just wants to graduate in peace, he’s had enough of people staring at and asking questions about his ears and tail.
The other boy, however, looks horrified. “So you don’t know me either? Because I know who you are.”
Of course he does. Like this day couldn’t get worse.
Wincing, Tighnari shrugs, fastening his eyes on the peeling paint of the wall across from him. “I’m afraid not.”
He braces himself for the response that’ll inevitably come. This boy seems nice enough, so he doesn’t think he’ll get aggressive, but he is from Spantamad, so who knows? A couple questions about his ears at the very least.
“Nice. Well, I’m Cyno,” the guy says instead, thrusting out his hand. “I’ll be graduating from Spantamad this year. With you not knowing who Kaveh is, am I supposed to deduce you also got summoned here today then?”
Tighnari blinks at the offered handshake in surprise, response a second delayed. “Tighnari. And yes, I was.”
The handshake seems to pacify the guy, Cyno, and he settles back in his chair. “Yeah, me too. Though in return I don’t have to do my alchemy lab cleaning shift, so that’s nice.”
Tighnari huffs a laugh, surprised with how at ease he feels with this guy. “Better than me then, I don’t get anything out of this. Just got bullied into being here.”
“That sucks, dude.”
Laughing, Tighnari tilts his head, curiosity winning out. “So, why did this Kshahrewar guy pull out then?”
Burnt orange eyes turn in his direction, Cyno smirking at him. “I thought gossip bores you.”
“Not when it affects how I spend my Saturday morning,” Tighnari counters, though realistically it really is just because he wants to know.
Cyno shrugs. “I don’t know why he specifically pulled out today, but Kaveh’s fight with his friend is all everyone’s been talking about all week, so I’m guessing it’s because of that.” He looks at Tighnari like he expects him to know what he’s talking about. Tighnari just blinks back at him blankly. “Oh man, you really don’t know anything, do you?”
“About Kshahrewar students? Guess not.”
“Not just Kshahrewar,” Cyno counters enthusiastically. Despite him feigning outrage at Tighnari being ignorant, he seems rather excited to educate him about it. Tighnari is a little horrified to realise he kinda likes this guy.
“Kaveh is the guy they call the Light of Kshahrewar, everyone is really excited to see what he’ll do when he graduates. But for the last two years, he’s been joined at the hip by this junior from Haravatat. Nobody likes the guy, he always glares at everyone, turns off his hearing aids when someone tries to talk at him and always corrects everyone like a typical Haravatat, but Kaveh seems to like him. Or seemed to like him, because they haven’t been spotted around each other all week.”
Frowning, Tighnari huffs a laugh. “And that’s enough for people to assume they had a fight? Must have been a slow week for the gossip mill then.”
“It’s not like that,” Cyno argues. “The two of them were always together and always arguing. They’ve been banned from attending classes together, it’s that bad. Come on, you must’ve seen them argue at least once.”
“I haven’t.” There is a surprising little amount of hesitation before he gestures to his ears. “I’m sensitive to commotion, so I stay away from things like that.”
Cyno’s eyes flicker up like he’d entirely failed to notice Tighnari’s ears. It shouldn’t make Tighnari feel fond but it does. Even more so when what follows isn’t a question but, “Oh. I’m so sorry, I didn’t think of that. I can see how you’d want to avoid people like them.”
Tighnari doesn’t really know what to reply, so he doesn’t. Cyno settles back into his chair. Tighnari hadn’t even noticed he’d leaned in closer once again.
For a moment, it’s silent. Then Cyno gestures to the door and whispers conspiratorily, “Do you wanna just make a run for it?”
It is the exact thing Tighnari has been considering for the last thirty minutes. He says as much, adding, “It’s growing more tempting by the second.”
Cyno looks at him like he’s weighing it out in his mind, leg lifting like he’s truly getting ready to bolt. Before he can however, the door to the auditorium swings open and his face falls. “Shit, too late.”
“Watch your language, mister Cyno,” the Spantamad Sage chides instantly. “And for the love of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, please refrain from using profanity in front of the interviewer or I’m putting you right back on lab cleaning duty.”
“Yes, sir,” Cyno drones, sounding like he doesn’t mean it at all. He angles his head towards Tighnari, out of view of the Sage, and rolls his eyes.
Tighnari huffs a laugh, causing Cyno to grin back at him. The Spantamad student winks at him. “So? Wanna come get lunch with me when we’re done?”
It’s an offer entirely out of the blue. They’ve spoken all but ten minutes. And Tighnari, who hasn’t had interest in having a friend since Lisa graduated last year, can’t help but somehow be charmed.
“Sure. We can do lunch.”
There is a boy in the Amurta library, hidden away in the little nook Tighnari likes to study in when the Akademiya gets too loud.
It’s not that he particularly minds; during exam season, the house of Deana actually is more quiet than usual so he doesn’t need the stowaway corner, but what boggles him is that he doesn’t think he knows this kid.
‘Kid’ might not even be a fair description, because judging by the books in front of him, he’s a senior just like Tighnari, but he looks so young as he sleeps half on top of his pen and notebook. Also judging by the books in front of him, he’s a Kshahrewar student, which means he should have no business being in the Amurta library.
It’s early in the morning when Tighnari pops in to pick up a book he needs, only a little past opening time actually, but the student is fast asleep when he gets there. He guesses the guy must have been here overnight for him to sleep this deeply. There is an imprint on his face from the corner of the book, and he doesn’t even stir when Tighnari walks past to get the book.
It is strange, all things considered.
Now normally, Tighnari would have woken him and told him he couldn’t sleep here, but that was before Cyno had started talking his ear off about the current gossip going around.
Gossip about an angelic senior from Kshahrewar who seems like he’s gotten his heart broken by the guy he was always spotted with before. The star student of Kshahrewar whose shine has dulled lately.
Tighnari isn’t stupid, he can put two and two together.
And so he leaves quietly, not thinking much more of it than that he finally will be the one who can share some gossip with Cyno.
Three days later, he thinks a little differently.
“He’s there again,” Tighnari tells Cyno when they meet up for lunch. “Or rather, I don’t think he even left.”
Cyno hums, clearly more occupied with scanning the options the cafeteria has to offer than with whatever Tighnari is saying. “It’s all trash today. Why don’t they ever give us something properly balanced?” He casts his gaze aside at Tighnari. “Why do you think he didn’t leave?”
Tighnari shrugs, settling in line for a tray. “He’s in the same clothes as yesterday and he’s still got pencil marks on his face.”
“Huh,” is Cyno’s eloquent reply. “Do you think he ate or drank at all?”
Laughing, Tighnari shrugs. “Is food all you ever think of? But no, it didn’t seem like it.”
Cyno pauses. “We could invite him to come eat with us off-campus? You know, cause you speculated he’s trying to hide from prying eyes.”
Tighnari narrows his eyes at him. “You’re just looking for an excuse not to eat the cafeteria food.”
At least Cyno is shameless enough to not deny it. “True, but also, it seems he can do with some friends right now.”
“He does,” Tighnari agrees, contemplative. He isn’t necessarily looking for inviting someone into his life that is as loud as he knows the Light of Kshahrewar can be, but he can’t deny the pity he’d felt when he saw the boy sleeping on the table, looking like he hadn’t seen a bed, shower or a proper meal in days.
“Fine, let's go get him then.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come in with me?”
Cyno is quick to shake his head. “If he truly is as skittish as you said he seems, and as clever as he’s supposed to be, he’ll immediately question what a Spantamad like me is doing in the Amurta library.”
“He’s a Kshahrewar in the Amuta library himself, screw him if he thinks something of it,” Tighnari protests, even though he knows it’s useless. “Not to mention, you’ll be there to help him, that’s not a crime.”
“Just go,” Cyno laughs with an eyeroll. “I’ll be here waiting for you.”
Mug in hand, bag slung over his shoulder, Tighnari obeys, shoving open the heavy door. The library is as quiet as it has been all week, most of the students out for their projects.
The boy, the supposed Light of Kshahrewar, is still in that forgotten corner in the back, folded over on top of a thick tome and a half-finished sketch. His pencil clings onto his fingertips for dear life, a smudge of graphite cresting his cheekbone. He doesn’t look like he moved over the last hour.
For a moment, Tighnari just observes him.
He considers waking the boy by shaking his shoulder for a moment, but decides that despite his good intentions, he does not know this boy, and it wouldn’t be the first time someone wakes up violently. Instead, he puts the mug down on the table a little harder than necessary and stays a healthy distance away as the boy blinks awake in confusion.
“What?”
Ah, Tighnari can see why everybody has been obsessed with him, and why the whole Akademiya is in such an uproar over not having seen him for a few days. Caught in a beam of sunlight, he looks almost ethereal, even with the massive dark circles under his eyes.
He doesn’t say anything like that though, instead just crossing his arms, tail curling around his wrist tightly. “You’ve been here for at least forty-eight hours.”
Immediately, the boy opens his mouth to protest, but Tighnari interrupts him with a shake of the head. “Don’t bother. I’ve been here twice yesterday and you also didn’t notice me then.” He doesn’t say anything about Cyno being with him the second time, not wanting to upset the boy even more. “Am I right in assuming you have barely eaten in that time either?”
Red eyes flick over him, assessing. Tighnari wonders just what conclusions he’s drawing from what he sees. The Light of Kshahrewar is a pretty face, sure, but the professors wouldn’t be equally as hyped about him if he didn’t also have a good brain to match.
In the end, the boy waves his hand dismissively, smiling a smile Tighnari thinks is supposed to be charming. It would be, wouldn’t it be that he looks so tired and like he’s two seconds away from crying. “It’s not a crime to study in another Darshan’s library, you know? I really like the natural light here, it helps me study.”
Tighnari fixes him an unimpressed look and gestures at the mug. “Drink that. It’ll replenish some of your more essential nutrients. We can go get some more solid foods later.”
The boy’s eyes flick between him and the mug, unsure. It seems he suspects that Tighnari might have ulterior intentions, so he adds, “Don’t worry, I won’t ask what happened with your anti-social friend. It’s just food.”
It is the wrong thing to say, because before he knows it, the pretty boy utterly breaks down into a waterfall of tears. Now, Tighnari isn’t usually very good with people who cry, and even less so when he doesn’t understand what in particular set him off, but it doesn’t feel like the right call to just say nothing.
So he just steps closer and puts a hand on the boy’s shoulder, patting it a little awkwardly. “Come now, you’ll get all that ink running if you cry on it.”
It takes a minute for the tears to taper off, but then the Kshahrewar boy sniffles, wiping his nose with the back of his sleeve. “You mean it? You won’t ask about—” He chokes on the words for a moment. “About Alhaitham?”
Tighnari smiles, making a dismissive motion with his hand. “Provided I don’t even know who this Alhaitham is, really, no, we won’t. Now come on, let’s get some real food in you.”
The boy nods, moving to get up from his seat. Then he seems to hesitate, a shadow crossing over his face. “We should wait, just a moment. If they see I cried, they’ll assume it’s your fault and get nasty with you.”
Pity curls in Tighnari’s chest. It seems that the gossip mill got this guy good at some point. Winking, he shrugs and pushes off against the table. “Who cares, let them be nasty. It’s not gonna affect my grades. And anybody who’s got time for nasty gossip during exam season is gonna have bigger problems real soon.”
A raw grief emerges upon the boy’s face before Tighnari’s even finished speaking, eyes far away and reminiscent. Whoever this Alhaitham guy was, he’s sure done a number on the Kshahrewar student. It lasts, however, for no longer than the blink of an eye, as the guy seems to push it away just as quickly as it came on.
“On your head be it.” The smile he puts on would almost seem genuine, had Tighnari not just seen the heaviness of what he is feeling. “I thought the same, but it took less than a week before they had me hiding away in here.”
It does not seem like the right moment to push. Not when he’s only just won this guy’s favour, it seems. So Tighnari smirks instead and says, “I thought you said you came here for the natural light.”
Sharp red eyes turn on him, narrowing in disbelief. Still, the guy sounds a little lighter when he grins and answers, “Came for the light, stayed because of the people, I suppose.”
“Fair enough,” Tighnari agrees. He casts a look at the entrance to the library, the door of which has inched open multiple times already over the duration of their conversation. “Now come on. There’s someone who’s been dying to meet you. And dying even more to finally get to eat.”